On Sunday, March 29th, The New England Garrison, along with Alderaan Base, was invited to attend the Worcester Sharks hockey game in Worcester, MA. The day was also the birthday of Finz, the mascot of the Sharks.

By all reports, this was a great troop. One trooper even called it “easy”! Plenty for the troopers to do, such as dropping the puck and attending the birthday party for Finz, but there was also plenty of “down time” to mingle with the crowd. Both on the concourse and in the lobby, many photos were taken with the fans! All in all, this was a fun day, and we look forward to going back again!

On Sunday, March 22nd, The New England Garrison, along with Alderaan Base, was invited to attend the Manchester Monarchs hockey game in Manchester, NH.The day was also the birthday of Max, the mascot of the Monarchs.

Reports from our troops state that it was a fun time, with lots to do.We were on the concourse, greeting fans as they came and and posed for photos.During the night, there was a dance contest with some of the kids from the game, and a birthday cake for Max.And Max even competed against one of our Biker Scouts in an old fashioned jump rope contest.Check out the video!

It was a memorable evening, but maybe for not the best of reasons.At the beginning of the game, Darth Vader took to the ice to drop the puck.Unfortunately, there wasn’t a carpet laid on the slick ice, and Lord Vader slipped and fell.And as you would expect in this day and age, video quickly went viral, making it all the way to the next episode of Jimmy Kimmel.Thankfully, our trooper and his costume were ok.

That said, it was still a very good night all in all. We had fun, the crowd seemed to enjoy our presence, and we look forward to coming back again next year.

On February 28th, the New England Garrison, along with the Rebel Legion and the Mando Mercs, were invited to Star Wars Hockey night, as the UMass Lowell River Hawks took on the University of Vermont Catamounts.

The Garrison suited up before the doors opened to the public, then walked around the lobby to greet people as they came in for the game. Troopers then walked around the upper area of the arena during the game. There were many “photo ops” with fans through out the evening!

Garrison members were even able to walk out on the ice, waving to the crowd and encouraging cheers during 1st intermission. Vader rode the Zamboni during 2nd intermission and others helped toss t-shirts into the crowd. And at one point, Captain Rex managed to start the wave! Also, NEG members brought stuffed toys for the Simba-cam. A mini-TK and an Ewok where raised upon high!

It was a fun atmosphere that night. The fans were happy to see us at what was the last home game of the season for UMass Lowell before the playoffs. And by the way, the score was tied that night, 2 to 2!

On Saturday, September 20th members of the Rebel Legion – Alderaan Base and the 501st Legion – New England Garrison participated in the 4th annual Skating For Hope event. This is a 24-hour fundraiser that helps to fund the Hope Lodge, which provides temporary housing for out-of-state families coming to area hospitals getting treated for cancer.

On Sunday, March 23rd members of the 501st New England Garrison and Rebel Legion Alderaan Base visited the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH to help the Monarchs celebrate the birthday of their mascot Max the Lion! Troopers patrolled the concourse before the game to pose for photos with the fans and also took part in some on-ice activities. We also helped to present Max with his R2-D2 birthday cake! It was a great time for everyone in attendance and we hope to see Max again for his next birthday party!

On Sunday, March 10th, members of the 501st Legion – New England Garrison and the Rebel Legion – Alderaan Base made a special appearance at the Verizon Wireless Arena to celebrate Max the mascot’s 12th birthday! Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Stormtroopers and X-Wing pilots were on-hand to pose for pictures with fans and have fun with the Monarchs playing games in between periods. This was a great night for everyone and Max certainly had a great time on this special day!

On Saturday, February 25th members of the 501st Legion – New England Garrison and Rebel Legion – Alderaan Base arrived in Lowell, MA to troop a hockey game between the UMASS Lowell River Hawks and the Merrimac Bears. A quartet of Clonetroopers alongside Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, a squad of Stormtroopers and a pair of TIE Pilots escorting the Emperor were on hand to meet fans and pose for pictures. In addition to the troopers in attendance everyone was also greeted by a droid known all over the galaxy, R2-D2! This was the 3rd annual ‘Star Wars Night’ with the River Hawks and everyone present had a great time!